engine swaps for N/A Series II

Power steering pump and alternator both show to be different - if they don't come with your replacement motor/tranny combo.

consider replacing the tensioners too

Albertj

Make sure they give you the exhaust manifolds with your motor - they too are supposedly different between the sc and non-sc

Is "EatDirtFartDust" even reading this thread anymore.???

It was posted August 15th with no replies since. Although I guess this could be good info for someone else that wants to swap 95 motors.

Extra information is always welcome, even if the OP isn't following the thread. Like you said, someone else will come looking for the info at a later time.

I have done this. Providing you have both motors in front of you its just a matter of swapping parts around.

I think the newer motor had an extra temp sensor on the head or something...

Transmission, bolt area, etc all the same.

The ONLY big WTF thing I found is the water pump assembly. It is modular and you WILL have to reuse the old setup. Oh and the oil filter deal is modular as well- and easy.

Some things to consider. Replacing the crank sensor, replace the cam sensor- check to make sure the cam magnet is present. If not repair now- real PITA to do in the car.

Our car has a continuous code issue. I dont know if theres something different in the motor throwing a sensor off or if something is messed up. It runs OK so we just drive the dang thing. Getting rid of it in about a year anyhow...

Ryan from Ohio wrote:

I have done this. Providing you have both motors in front of you its just a matter of swapping parts around.

I think the newer motor had an extra temp sensor on the head or something...

Transmission, bolt area, etc all the same.

The ONLY big WTF thing I found is the water pump assembly. It is modular and you WILL have to reuse the old setup. Oh and the oil filter deal is modular as well- and easy.

Some things to consider. Replacing the crank sensor, replace the cam sensor- check to make sure the cam magnet is present. If not repair now- real PITA to do in the car.

Our car has a continuous code issue. I dont know if theres something different in the motor throwing a sensor off or if something is messed up. It runs OK so we just drive the dang thing. Getting rid of it in about a year anyhow...

...fi you want help with that code, post it. There is a chance someone else has seen it before and can give you a fix. Sometimes simple fixes are not obvious, like a little epoxy to temporarily fix rust pinhole leaks in the fuel filler tube...

Albertj

And I need to correct my previous statement. The water pump is on the motor block, not a modular system. The modular portion was where the alternator mounts. That is unique to the Rivi's.

I just found out the hard way about the water pump. A 1995 Riviera pump isnt quite the same as a 2004 Impala pump. The pulley is different...

Hey Ryan. I'm in the middle of doing an engine swap for my 95 Buick Riviera N/A too!.
I got an engine from a 99 Chevy monte Carlo with 55k miles for $700.
I am in the process still, so the new motor is on a motor mount and the old one is in the engine compartment, disconnected, ready to come out.

I had to swap the alternator mounting bracket (five minutes at most, 2 bolts)
I had to swap the throttle body, because the new one had just one vacuum port fuel pressure regulator and trans breather, etc, whereas our motor has two. I probably could have made it work with a different line coupler, but I wanted a reason to remove the throttle body and clean it real well anyway.

All the sensors/actuators on the throttle body's look the same, except the mass air flow sensor on the new one has a 90degree connector and the old one has a flat connector. The connectors are identical, just the shape of the MAF is different.

All the motor mounts are different, so be prepared to swap those, but it's pretty easy.

If you have any questions, let me know. Or if you break or lose a part or sensor and need another one, let me know too, I'll have plenty of extra parts .

I was told these engines are good for having sticking injectors if they sit for too long at the junk yard. I'll have 6 extra from my old engine, but I'm toying with the idea of getting another set. A set of 6 "rebuilt" injectors goes for about $150 on Ebay.

Good luck.

-Josh

P.S.

I had to swap the oil filter brackets as well.

And I installed a new water pump while I had the new motor out.

It was alos a good time to clean it really good and flush the cooling system.

LOL Ive had my swap done now for a very long time.

Heres a big peiece of advice- change the crank sensor now also. Ive been told its a highly common issue that is a given need in due time. Its easy to do right now... In the car... Forget it. I dont think its even possible...

I think ours has a bad cam sensor as well...

Oh well... it still runs!

I want to swap a series two supercharged motor into my n/a 3800 series 2 car. What do I need to do this besides the entire motor and everything?

Honestly crank sensor change on a 3.8 s2 in car isn't all that hard. Can do it in about 30 minutes

Hi my motor in my 97 buick Riviera started knocking really bad today. I believe it needs a rebuild. It is not supercharged. What are my options on rebuilding/ doing an engine swap. I figure if I'm going to spend the money to rebuild it may as well be supercharged.

My questions:

1. What motors from what vehicles(supercharged) will swap over with ease?
2. What other parts do I need?
3. What is a rebuild kit I would need for the used supercharged motor?
4. If I decide to not go with a supercharger and just rebuild my current motor what rebuild kit should I buy?

Thanks for the help. I live in Hawaii currently so it is a little harder to get/find parts, unfortunately.

An L67 would be the easiest supercharged swap. They're in any SC V6 from GM from 1996-2003. If you're feeling daring you could go to an L32 which has the Gen V blower. Either way you would need the appropriate wiring and PCM.

Any S/C Series II will suffice. You'll need an entire engine harness, PCM, vacuum lines, Fuel Rails/Injectors, etc etc. The PCM would need to be Buick specific IMO as some of the other 3.8L S/C cars had different gear ratios and such. I would actually try and stay Buick specific for the whole swap because anything other than a Buick 3.8L had different engine/cradle mountings. You could just swap all the brackets and pulleys over, but I think it'd be easiest if it were from the same body car.

Since you have a '97 you have a few more options for the electronics. You could drop in any L67 and buy some tuning software (like HP Tuners) and get a stock PCM from somebody here with a '97 and HPTuners. The difference in the wiring harness between the SC and NA motors is one wire for the bypass valve relief solenoid which isn't required.

Hmm. Actually, I don't know that for certain on a '97. I know that's the case for a '98 and '99. Does anybody else know for sure about the '97s?

Abaddon I'm fairly sure the NA and SC motors had different gear ratios, so you'd still need to correct that somehow. You'd either need the trans to match the donor PCM, or get a tuner and alter the trans settings on your new PCM (or the engine settings on the old PCM).

I am so glad someone started this thread and that lots of knowledgeable members have been contributing info.

I've been troubleshooting and researching as well as discussing options (with all of the experienced engine mechanics throughout my area) regarding what to do for my 1995 Riv N/A 3800 Series II, L36?-V6 engine problem(s) for the last 5+ months.
My enthusiasm and high spirited hopes have slowly deteriorated since  from just trying to truly trust the "right person/people" to fix the root cause of my vehicles current engine problem with little to no success on gaining a logical solutions. It's been ruff... as I'm sure some (if not most) of you may have been through in the past.